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Pregame Juice
On Homecoming 2012 in Ohio Stadium before a record crowd of 106,102 fans on national television in prime time the Ohio State Buckeyes left no doubt they are beginning to arrive in new head coach Urban Meyer’s system. What was being billed as a “Showdown in The Shoe” turned out to be a “Blowout in The Shoe” as the men of scarlet and grey plowed their way to an impressive 63-38 victory.
Fire and Ice
The Ohio State offense wasn’t exactly on fire to start the game. Coming out of the locker room the Buckeye offense went four straight series of three and out, the last included a fake punt attempt. I’d like to say that Bradley Roby’s 41 yard interception return for a touchdown at the 8:29 mark of the first quarter was the spark that got the team rolling, but the truth is Ohio State found themselves down 17-7 at the end of the first quarter. Starting slow is a first quarter trend that started back in game one against Miami, Ohio and continues through week six.
So what got the proverbial ball rolling? What kicked the offense and the team itself into gear and got them on a torrid scoring pace that ended up with a 63 spot on the board for the good guys? The answer: Braxton Miller. A 72 yard burst from “XBrax360” juking defenders out of their shoes and racing to the three yard line put the stadium and the Ohio State sideline into a frenzy. Two plays later Carlos Hyde busted into the endzone (more on Hyde later) and the onslaught of scoring had begun.
Video Game Moves
After his 72 yard sprint, Miller limped to the sidelines and could not finish the series. It’s the second week in a row that Braxton has given the Buckeye faithful a near heart attack. It’s also the second week in a row he shook off a bump and got back in the game. The question of course has to be asked: Can he keep taking hits and carrying the ball at this pace for an entire season?
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Technically, in Beech Grove Indiana...
Welcome to Hoosier Week… accompanied by a soundtrack from Bloomington’s greatest artist (no, not JCM- although I would have accepted Hoagy).
Buckeye 411
SammySilv At It Again
| Following an epic National Letter of Intent Day at Ohio State, several of the Buckeye Blogs wanted to take a closer look at how this will all play out for the future. Be sure to check out the work at The Buckeye Blog, Buckeye House Call, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, Our Honor Defend, and The Silver Bullet for their responses to the round table questions and all things NLOID related. |
Marion. But of course.
It’s Groundhog Day; February 2, 2012. While it might be tempting to channel our inner Ned Ryerson, reliving the epic signing day yesterday over and over and over again wouldn’t be all that productive (unless you’re Bret Bielema’s therapist). Nope, it’s time to embrace the other side of the festive event and recognize that yesterday was a sign that the seasons were changing. The long, dismal, self inflicted winter of Buckeye Nation’s discontent is moving on, and the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming train.
No, Urban Meyer didn’t look for his shadow as he emerged from the Ohio State War Room on Monday, but you can bet that his presence has cast a shadow across the hearts of B1G fans as certainly as it brought sunlight to Columbus and beyond. A new day was here- a day where most of the B1G took yet another step strengthening their position against signing day abuses; a day where the most egregious oversigners had to change their habits and make decisions on NLOID; heck, a day where James Patrick Tressel may have even found a home.
But for Buckeye fans, little of that mattered. Most of them celebrated by quoting the great Mark Twain in reflection of their favorite squadron- “Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” As we all know, though, they don’t hand out crystal footballs on signing day so the work continues for the OSU staff and student athletes. And for those of us who follow and report and reflect on their decisions, there are always questions to be answered.
Who are you most excited to see in the Scarlet and Gray?
Eric- Hands down, I’m the most excited to see what Brionte Dunn can bring to the fold. Reportedly, Dunn is a bruising power back that will harken back to the days of yore for the Buckeyes.
Many people have made a big deal about how Dunn won’t fit into Urban Meyer’s system. That statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Recall that Tim Tebow was often used in lieu of a power back, being used to plow ahead for yardage. Florida is not a state known for it’s big bruisers, being better known for it’s speedsters of course, and Urban Meyer was simply not able to get the kinds of running backs he prefers – the big kinds.
Meyer will easily integrate Dunn into the offense, and it should be fun to watch unfold. As a bonus, Bill Greene commented during his Q&A liveblog yesterday that he believed Dunn would be the starting running back for the Buckeyes next season. Just as an FYI. Read More
After a long hiatus, it’s time to jump back in with some recruiting talk.
Adverse circumstances surrounding the program have obviously impacted recruiting for months, but the 2012 class still has an opportunity to be pretty darn good.
The key will be finishing strong, and the Buckeyes look to be in a great position to do just that.
The biggest concern, as it has been for months, continues to be along the offensive line. Regardless of how the ’12 class finishes, the depth issues there may not be resolved until the ink is dry on the ’13 class.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, here is a look at how the 2012 class will wind down. Read More
Kyle Kalis (Photo via the Plain Dealer)
Joe also contributed to this post.
With the excitement of fall camp and the start of the season, recruiting has been on the back burner for weeks.
Since my last update, Ohio State received the commitment of local Columbus running back Warren Ball and Cleveland offensive lineman Kyle Kalis, the second and third commitments in the 2012 class.
With those two commitments and the recent addition of several new in-state offers (one of which was Kalis), the 2012 class is starting to gain some momentum.
As far as the 2011 class is concerned, outside of Doran Grant, Aundrey Walker, and Shane Wynn eventually becoming Buckeyes, everything else is up in the air.
The area of most confusion in 2011 is at linebacker. Ohio State clearly would like to take at least one linebacker in the class… the problem is figuring out who that will be.
Join me after the jump for a look at how the 2011 class might wind down and an early look at the extremely talented 2012 class. Read More
On Friday, Kyle Kalis became the 3rd verbal commitment in the 2012 football class. He joins Columbus DeSales RB Warren Ball and Olentangy LB Josh Perry.
Kyle at the Shoe
Kalis is a 6’5” 300lb monster OT from Cleveland St. Ed’s, and could be the guy that protects Braxton Miller’s blind-side in a couple of years. Next year he will be the top rated lineman in the state of Ohio, and he very well could be the best lineman this year regardless of class. Read More
Ohio State has plenty of options at RB in 2012.
I already took a brief look at the ’12 class at the end of June. Since then, Ohio State landed ’12 LB/TE/DE/whatever prospect Josh Perry, officially making it not too early to start talking about the rest of the class.
Another factor that makes it worth looking ahead is that the ’11 class is all but finished.
Even though official written offers aren’t allowed to be sent out until September 1st, Ohio State’s staff has identified quite a few ’12 players at camp this summer to extend verbal offers to.
Extremely early/rough estimates for the ’12 class indicate that it will be very small, possibly less than 15 spots small, pending transfers, people coming back (Duron Carter) and early departures to the NFL.
The limited scholarships plus the early verbal offers mean that the class could (and most likely will) fill up quickly.
When everything is said and done, the 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes will be extremely talented and building blocks for the future, similar to what the 2008 and 2009 classes are on the team right now. Read More
Jim warned us that 2012 was nigh… and today, we saw that he was right (as usual) with Olentangy’s Josh Perry becoming the first verbal commitment of that class.
Young Buck
Mr. Perry is a 6′ 4″ 225 pound junior to be who plays linebacker and wide receiver, although there’s been some talk that he may get a look at tight end.
Josh was an attendee at the recent camp at Ohio State, where he worked with Coach Fickell and received his offer. The wait was not long, as his commitment comes only a few days later.
According to reports, he is quite the athlete, finishing second in the state long jump to another recent OSU commitment, Devin Smith. Not too shabby for a 225 pound athlete.
Video and other stuff at Scouting Ohio.
Welcome to the family, Josh!
